RTA Driving License Renewal in Dubai: Complete 2026 Guide (Verified with RTA)

Renewing a driver’s license through Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is a process most residents will need to handle every few years, and getting a detail wrong, like the wrong eye test validity or the wrong late fee, can mean an unplanned trip to a service center or an avoidable fine if you have not done your RTA Driving License Renewal.

Quick Guide: RTA Driving License Renewal

• Who can renew: UAE citizens, GCC citizens, and residents with a valid Emirates ID, whether the license is still valid or already expired (as long as it has not been expired for more than 10 years).
• Documents needed: valid Emirates ID, a valid eye test, and a medical fitness test if you are a professional driver.
• How to renew: online via the RTA website, the RTA Dubai app, Dubai Now, the Mahboub chatbot, a self-service machine, or an eye test center.
• Fees: AED 300 for applicants 21 and older, AED 100 for those under 21, plus AED 20 for the knowledge and innovation fee and AED 140 to AED 180 for the eye test.
• Late renewal fine: AED 10 per calendar month calculated from the expiry date, capped at AED 500.
• Renewal window: up to 6 months before expiry if you are 21 or older, or up to 3 months before expiry if you are under 21.
• Eye test validity: 3 years, longer than almost every other source states.

RTA Driving License Renewal Fees

The fee structure differs depending on whether your license is still within the 10-year window or has expired beyond it.

License valid or expired less than 10 years ago

The license expired more than 10 years ago

Delivery fees, both categories

Optional mobile truck service

Eligibility Criteria for RTA Driving License Renewal

RTA’s eligible category for this service is straightforward: citizens and residents holding a valid or expired UAE driver’s license. The license itself must not have been expired for more than 10 years, and it must show as “with owner” in RTA’s system, meaning it has not been reported lost, canceled, or surrendered.

Four applicant types are recognized, each with its own requirement set:

• Citizens: valid Emirates ID, a valid eye test, and a medical fitness test if working as a professional driver.
• Residents: the same three requirements as citizens.
• Diplomats: a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an Emirates ID if one is held, and a valid diplomatic card.
• People of Determination: a certificate of transfer to the doctor from the driving institute and medical fitness proof issued by the Dubai Health Authority after a referral.

One detail worth knowing: tourists and visit visa holders cannot renew a Dubai driver’s license at all. RTA’s own FAQ confirms that without a valid Emirates ID, the RTA driving license renewal cannot proceed, regardless of how the license was originally obtained.

Documents Required for RTA Driving License Renewal

The base document list is short by design:

• A valid Emirates ID.
• A valid eye test, completed at an RTA eye test center.
• A medical fitness test, only if your role is listed as a professional driver on your residency, which requires passing a comprehensive medical test at an RTA-accredited hospital.

You do not need to bring a separate passport photo. RTA retrieves your photo directly from the Emirates ID scanner during the RTA driving license renewal, so there is nothing extra to prepare on that front.

Diplomats and People of Determination follow the separate document lists above rather than this general one.

Eye Test Requirements and Validity

An eye test completed at an approved eye test center remains valid for 3 years, not six months and not one year as many other sources currently claim.

The test is completed at any RTA Eye Test Centre, and results are uploaded electronically straight into RTA’s system, so there is no physical certificate to carry to your appointment or upload yourself. You will need to take the test before starting the online renewal, since the system checks for a valid result before letting you continue.

A separate medical fitness test, required only for professional drivers, has its own validity period of 11 months, distinct from the 3-year eye test validity.

Ways to Renew Your Driving License

RTA offers renewal through six separate channels, each with its own steps.

Renewing via the RTA Website

• Take an eye test at one of the eye test centers.
• Log in using your valid Emirates ID, passport, or UAE Pass.
• Enter the OTP sent to your registered phone number.
• Select “Renewing a Driving License” from the Drivers Licensing Services list.
• Confirm your driver’s license details before issuance.
• Choose a delivery method: electronic license through the RTA Dubai App wallet, a self-service machine, or courier delivery.
• Pay all outstanding fines and fees.
• Receive the license as a digital driving license, with the option of a physical copy through a self-service machine or courier.

Renewing via the Mahboub Chatbot

Available both on the RTA website and through RTA smart apps. Type “Apply for or Manage a Driving License,” select “Renew Driving License,” log in or continue as a guest with your vehicle or license details, confirm your OTP and eye test information, choose your delivery method, agree to the terms, and pay. The service is instant.

Renewing via the RTA Dubai App

Take your eye test first, then open the app and select Renewing a Driving License. You can scan the QR code on your existing license or enter your license number, issuance date, birth year, and traffic file number manually. Pay the fees and receive your digital license immediately, with the same delivery options as the website.

Renewing via Dubai Now

After the eye test, log in with UAE Pass, select Transport, then Renew License, then Renew Driving License from License Services. Pay the fees and receive the license digitally, with physical delivery options available.

Renewing at a Self-Service Machine

Take the eye test, pay all fines, apply for the renewal, pay the fees, and print the license directly at the machine. The license is also pushed to the RTA Dubai app under My Docs.

RTA operates self-service machines at over 30 locations across Dubai, including RTA Customer Happiness Centers in Deira, Al Barsha, Al Manarah, Al Twar, Al Kifaf, and Umm Ramool, alongside vehicle testing centers, Tasjeel branches, and RTA headquarters, with many running around the clock.

Renewing via Eye Test Centres Directly

Take the eye test, pay all fines, and receive your digital license on the spot, with the same physical delivery choices. A mobile eye test truck service is also available through Al Jaber Optical by calling 04 522 0000, running Monday to Thursday from 10am to 5pm and Friday from 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm.

All six channels issue the license instantly once fees are paid, and the temporary digital license you receive while waiting for a physical card remains valid for 5 to 15 days, depending on the delivery timeframe you select.

Fines and Penalties for Late Renewal

RTA’s published fee schedule includes a specific line item called the renewal delay fine: AED 10 per calendar month, calculated from the expiry date of the license, capped at a maximum of AED 500. Note that the fine is calculated from the day the license expires, so there is no separate grace period built into the official fee structure before this charge begins to apply.

If your license has been expired for more than 10 years, you also owe a flat AED 500 renewal delay fine as part of the expanded fee set for that category, on top of the training file, evaluation test, and other charges listed above.

Separately, driving on an expired license is its own offense under UAE traffic law, carrying a fine and black points issued by Dubai Police, independent of whatever renewal fee applies to the license itself. If your license has been expired for more than 10 years or was never issued after passing a road test, you cannot simply pay a fee and renew. RTA requires you to sit for an evaluation test before the license can be reissued.

Driving License Validity: How Long Your Renewed License Lasts

RTA sets validity by age and residency status:

When Can You Renew Before Expiration?

RTA allows renewal ahead of the expiry date, and the window depends on age:

• If you are 21 or older, you can renew up to 6 months before your license expires.
• If you are younger than 21, you can renew up to 3 months before your license expires.

The RTA Driving License Renewal date itself is calculated from the date you submit your application, not from your old expiry date, and this applies across all applicant categories.

Renewing an Expired License: The More Than 10 Years Rule

If your driver’s license expired more than 10 years ago or was never issued after you passed your road test, the standard RTA Driving License Renewal path does not apply. Instead:

• Log in with your account, or enter your Emirates ID and expiry date, UAE Pass, driving license number and issuance date, or your traffic file number and date of birth.
• Select “Renewing a Driving License” from the driver’s licensing services list.
• The system will notify you that your license expired more than 10 years ago and that an evaluation test is required.
• Book the evaluation test appointment and select an institute to take it at.
• Pay the associated fees.
• Pass the Evaluation Test.
• Receive your license as a digital driver’s license, with physical delivery options available.

If your license carries more than one category and has expired beyond 10 years, you only need to sit for one evaluation test for the light vehicle category. Passing it reinstates every category on your license without additional testing.

If you hold a driver’s license from a country on RTA’s exception list, you are exempt from this evaluation test entirely when renewing your Dubai license, regardless of your own nationality.

Medical Fitness Requirements

A medical fitness test is required specifically for professional drivers, meaning anyone whose residency lists their profession as a driver. The test must be completed at one of RTA’s accredited hospitals, and its result remains valid for 11 months. RTA lists accredited hospitals across Dubai, including:

Special Cases for RTA Driving License Renewal

The following are the special cases discussed in detail:

Diplomats

Diplomats renewing a driver’s license must visit one of six specific RTA Customer Happiness Centers in person to complete the exception process: Umm Ramool, Al Manarah, Al Twar, Deira, Al Barsha, or Al Kifaf. The required documents are a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an Emirates ID if held, and a valid diplomatic card.

People of Determination

People of determination need a certificate of transfer to the doctor from their driving institute, along with medical fitness proof issued by the Dubai Health Authority following a referral. Sanad cardholders also qualify for a 50 percent discount on this service.

Military RTA Driving License Renewal

A military driver’s license cannot be renewed or have a category added through this RTA service. You must visit the concerned authority directly for that.

Licenses Issued in Another Emirate

If your driver’s license was issued in another emirate, you cannot renew it through Dubai’s RTA. Conversely, if your license is issued in Dubai but your residence visa has since moved to another emirate, you can still renew online, provided your traffic file details are updated to match your current visa.

Black Points and Suspension

If Dubai Police cancels or suspends your driving license after you accumulate 24 black points, you must first obtain an NOC letter from Dubai Police to apply for a rehabilitation test, which allows RTA to open a new training file.

If your license is suspended by Dubai Police for another reason and you are directed back to the RTA, you will need to visit either the Al Barsha or Deira Licensing Centre in person to resolve it.

Things Worth Knowing Before You Start

A few operational details that do not fit neatly into other sections but matter in practice:

• You cannot renew a temporary or interim driver’s license.
• Your photo is pulled automatically from the Emirates ID scanner.
• There is no separate photo requirement.
• All outstanding traffic fines must be cleared before RTA will process an RTA Driving License Renewal.
• The temporary digital license issued while your physical card is being prepared is valid for 5 to 15 days, depending on your chosen delivery speed.
• If you submit an application with missing information, RTA sends an SMS asking you to complete it rather than rejecting the application outright.

Faqs Related to RTA Driving License Renewal